


Always With You

by johnszee



Series: JohnZee [1]
Category: Constantine (Comic), DCU (Comics), Zatanna (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Magicblazer, Post-Justice League (2017), johnzee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2020-04-06 09:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19059661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnszee/pseuds/johnszee
Summary: It was the same thing every year, but every year she dreaded the anniversary of her father’s death.I actually suck at summaries but this is a fic about Zatanna realizing she still loves John Constantine. And it's a slow burn! (but not too slow)





	1. Home

Zatanna placed her hat on her vanity and plopped herself onto the stool. She loved doing shows but her body was still sore after she assisted the Justice League in fighting Darkseid’s minions not even 15 hours ago. She didn’t even pay attention to the logistics of it all. Something about Lex Luthor making a deal with Darkseid... yadda yadda yadda. She rolled her neck and pulled out the drawer to her right for some ibuprofen. 

She stared at her reflection as she swallowed the pills. If she took off her makeup, there’d be huge bags underneath her eyes from the lack of sleep she’s received over the last two weeks. It was the same thing every year, but every year she dreaded the anniversary of her father’s death. It was why she was so quick to jump into battle, much to Bruce’s dismay. She let a small smile lift the corner of her lips. Maybe she will call Bruce later on. She hasn’t had time as of late to actually converse with him and she did miss her best friend.  
She slowly rose up and walked to the exit door. 

*“Sthgil ffo,” she said as she headed out. She wasn’t one to use magic for mundane actions but she was too tired to even care. She headed down the hallway and pushed open the exit door. Her driver hasn’t appeared yet.

Damn it, she thought to herself. She refused to wait. Her body was aching for a bath. Taking a quick glance at her surroundings she mustered whatever energy she had left to take herself home.   
She felt her body enter the Limbo-like state as her body teleported across space and time. She opened her eyes and was ready to head inside but she stopped in her tracks.

“Shit,” she said to herself. 

She had no idea where she was but she was nowhere near home. She stood outside what appeared to be a fancy bar. The sky was cloudy with a light drizzle.  
“Why’d you bring me here?” She quietly asked to herself. Well, she was asking her magic but she knew she’d never get a response. She wrapped herself in her black coat and headed in.

“Welcome,” a blue-haired pixie told her as she walked in.

“Is this a magic bar?” Zatanna asked. 

“Only the supernatural can enter. What brings you here?” The pixie asked. Her voice was sweet, sultry even. Zatanna quickly caught on that when she spoke, she released some sort of aphrodisiac pollen.   
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Thank you,” she said and stepped through the velvet curtain. Zatanna smiled, noticing the bemused expression of the pixie, no doubt questioning why the pollen didn’t work on her. 

Her father, Giovanni Zatara, taught her everything he knew about magic and the supernatural. When she turned 16, her father taught her how to combat spells that were meant to seduce you. The pollen would be useless against her long-standing magical barriers. 

The bar itself had dim lighting, making the entire layout difficult to see.

*“Evig em ssenthgirb,” she said softly. Her vision became normal, allowing her to see the bar as if bright LED lights were shining down. She walked towards the bar, not noticing anything particular. She saw magical beings lounging around, drinking and talking. Why make the bar so secretive?

She noticed a couple go through a curtain barrier towards the back. She knew what happened back there so there was no need to investigate. 

“What can I get you?” a young warlock asked. He looked no older than 18.

“Water,” she replied. He raised an eyebrow but proceeded to get her a glass of water. 

“No ice,” she added as he placed the glass underneath the ice machine.

“You’re an odd one,” he told her. She took a sip of water. It was cold enough.

“What is this place?” She asked her bartender. 

“It’s called Night’s Rose. An old warlock opened it in the 1800s as a sort of safe haven.”

“And now it’s a sex bar?” She finished, taking a sip of her water. 

The bartender laughed. “That is an amenity offered here, yes. The secrecy remained but it fell under new management in the 1920s. You might know him: Lucifer.”  
Why did her magic bring her to one of Lucifer's’ bars? It’s not like she was summoned here by anyone. It’s like her spell took a mind of its own, but even then, why bring her to a place that holds no significance to her? 

“You okay?” The bartender asked. She blinked away her thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she replied. “How old are you?” She asked him.

“I’ve been 18 for 124 years,” he replied. 

“Interesting. Vampire?” She didn’t know what was expected of her here so why not pass some time? She also needed some time to rest. The fight against Apokolips Finest took a toll on her. She can do small spells but she hasn’t regained enough energy for another teleportation spell. It requires lots of concentration and stamina. Her magic is also acting wonky at the moment, so there’s that obstacle as well. 

“Naw. My soul is tied to this place. Where it goes, I do.”

“The bar changes locations?” It reminded her of Shadowcrest, her childhood home. Shadowcrest wouldn’t stay in one location for long periods of times. It never bothered her since she was always on the move as a child. Perks of having a world-famous magician and full-time JSA member as a father. 

“Yep. Every week, it’s somewhere new. I may be stuck here but at least I can travel the world.” He smiled but she noticed there was no happiness to it. To travel the world but not see what it has to offer? Zatanna would be sad as well. 

She fished out a twenty dollar bill from her purse and placed it on the counter. 

*“Trevnoc,” she whispered. The $20 changed into £20 exactly. So she was in England. It occurred to her that she never bothered to ask where in the world she was in. 

“Thank you,” she said and hopped off the stool she was on. She was going to continue investigating when she heard a familiar laugh. No, calling it a laugh would be a mistake. It was more of a deep rumble disguised as laughter. She froze in her tracks. It couldn’t be. She felt the familiar pang in her chest whenever she was around him. 

Constantine.

She shut her eyes. It couldn’t be. Is that why her magic decided to bring her here?

She stopped herself. Her magic didn’t turn on her. 

She realized that when she said take me home, she didn’t mean her penthouse. When she said “take me home” it brought her to John Constantine. Deep down, she knew that wherever John was, that’d be her home. 

She felt a tear trail down her cheek. Maybe she was feeling vulnerable and her subconscious was thinking of John at that moment. No matter the reasoning, she was here now.   
She turned around.

John was near the curtain she saw the couple disappear to awhile ago. He was shrugging on his signature tan coat. She felt another pang in her chest. He looked the same since she last saw him, almost three years ago. He ran his hand through his blonde hair lazily, a cigarette hung lazily in between his lips. He leaned over and gave a kiss to the man and woman he most likely was in the back with and turned to leave. Zatanna was frozen in her spot. Her legs refused to move. Only John Constantine has his effect over her and she silently cursed at him. 

He looked up and their eyes met. She saw his eyes widen slightly before she turned on her heel and left. She couldn’t do this. She heard him call out her name, which was a mistake. All the chatter in the bar ceased. 

“Bollocks,” she heard John say.

Zatanna knew that she did a lot of good working with the Justice League. She knew she protected the Earth in times of darkness. But her affiliation with the capers didn’t exactly make her the most popular in the supernatural world. The world of magic tended to worry about their affairs internally, and Zatanna had broken that unspoken rule. Not everyone felt that way towards her, of course, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t a popular topic to the patrons in Lucifer Morningstar’s bar. 

“Now, now. Let’s play nice,” John said slowly. 

“Get that bitch out of here!” Someone yelled out.

John tsked. “That’s not a very nice word.”

She swiftly turned around and walked towards him, placing her hand on his arm. He glanced into her eyes, the anger fading away.  
“I’m not worth it,” she said softly.

*“Ekat em kcab ot Sal Sagev,” she said and she was gone.


	2. 2

Zatanna groaned and stumbled as she teleported back into her hotel room. Using a spell that costly was probably not the best idea, but she knew that she had to get out of there. No, scratch that: it was a horrible idea. She felt her stomach twist and made an immediate beeline to the restroom.

She hasn’t pushed herself to this limit in so long. She made a quick mental note to check in with her therapist sometime soon.

Zatanna did another quick look in the mirror, somehow looking worse than she did a few hours ago. She quickly rinsed her face, discarded most of her clothing and jumped into bed, almost immediately falling into a deep slumber.

***

_“Again!” Shouted Giovanni Zatara. He was incredibly tall, his stature towering over Zatanna. Even though it was an incredibly sunny day, he still opted to wear his signature tuxedo. He had the jacket folded over a nearby tree branch and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, but Zatanna still secretly wondered how he seemed to be in perfect condition compared to the summer heat. She suspected magic, but never once asked her father about it._

_“I’ve already tried it 100 times. I can’t do it,” whined Zatanna. She had just turned 13, and for her birthday, her father began to teach her about combative spells._

_Her father clicked his tongue and said, *”Erif llab.” Almost immediately, a small ball of fire burst out of his outstretched hand towards a mannequin he set up a few yards away. “You have to convince the magic inside of you to listen. Think of it as its own entity, even though you have total control of it. It will become easier once you accept it as a partner.” Giovanni sat up straight and urged her forward. “Try again.”_

_“How do you make the fire shoot out of your hand without actually saying it in the spell?” She asked. Her father glared at her, knowing that she was just stalling._

_“With enough practice, the magic will be able to know what you mean. It’s funny how you can have total control but still need to coerce it to listen to you. It’s like having a small pet.”_

_“Does this mean I can get a dog?” She asked hopefully._

_“No. Try again.”_

_She groaned, turning slowly to the mannequin. She closed her eyes and lifted her right arm towards the target. She deeply inhaled, trying to reach the magic inside of her. She looked deep inside of herself, trying to muster the strength to shoot a ball of fire._

_Breathe._

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

_Breathe._

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

_Breathe._

_“Ssssssatannnnaaaaaaaa,” she heard in her head. “Emoclew.”_

_*“Erif llab,” she said on instinct.. She opened her eyes just in time to witness huge gusts of fire explode out of her hand. The lazy breeze drafted it upwards. It was a complete chaos of controlled inferno. She stared, mouth agape, for a few more moments before forcing her hands into a fist._

_She turned towards her father, who was staring up at the sky, smiling. Zatanna didn’t know what to expect, but for her father to be smiling was not it. He looked back down at her. “I knew you could do it.”_

_Zatanna didn’t have a chance to respond, because almost immediately, his face changed. It grew solemn._

_“Zatanna, head back home. There is something I must deal with.”_

_Zatanna saw a dark figure walking towards them in the distance. Whoever they were, their dark cloak was easy to distinguish against the lush, green hills of Sicily._

_“Who is that?” She asked._

_“Zatanna, please head back to Shadowcrest.”_

_“Dad, are you oka-“_

_*“Ekat Annataz kcab,” he quickly said and Zatanna was gone._

***

Zatanna awoke, her heart racing in her chest. It was not out of fear or adrenaline, it’s just how she always reacts when she has vivid dreams about her father. Except, she thought to herself, that wasn’t just any dream.

“What are you trying to tell me?” She asked softly, knowing fully well she’d get no response.

She kicked her legs over the bed, deciding it is time to finally get up. Seeing the time, she quickly noted that she had slept for a little over ten hours. That can’t happen again, she thought to herself. She is normally one to stick to her routine, but if the last 24 hours were any indication, it would do nothing to help her case.

She wasn’t due for a meeting with her manager for another three hours, so she wasn’t in much of a rush to get ready.

“Incoming call: Batman,” announced her JLA given tablet. She let out a groan.

“I do not have time for this,” she muttered to herself as she walked over to answer. “Bruce, I really don’t-“

“I’m not Bruce. And you have not answered any of my calls.” Said a female voice. Except it wasn’t just any female voice; it was the voice of Diana Prince, aka the Wonder Woman. Zatanna and Diana weren’t good friends, not in the same vein as she has with Bruce, but she is a fantastic partner and ally to have. Diana joined in with the JLD, before it was ultimately shut down. So to have her be the one calling was definitely strange.

“I haven’t been ignoring calls on purpose. I’ve had a strange day, if I’m being quite honest,” Zatanna replied, shrugging on her jacket. Brief flashes of John appeared in her head before she forced them away.

“Batman wanted to check in on you, but he got called back to Gotham. He asked me as a favor,” replied Diana, arms crossed. It wasn’t to intimidate, at least Zatanna didn’t think so. Diana actually looked comfortable in her stance. She didn’t think twice about it.

“How incredibly kind. I won’t be able to head back to headquarters for a few days, but I’ll manage.” Zatanna decided on the spot that she needed a few days off so she can figure out what exactly is going on with her magic.

“You can always call back if you need help. I guess that is all left to say. I’ll have you in my thoughts, Zatanna. Take care,” was all Diana said before signing off. Zatanna smiled. Diana is all about compassion, which is actually what Zatanna admired about her. Diana is always looking out for other people. Zatanna made another quick mental note to get Diana a gift.

Still a little drained from yesterday's endeavors, Zatanna opted to call on her personal driver instead of teleporting. Her father cemented into her to not abuse magic for mundane tasks, and that is actually a rule Zatanna adheres to this day. Sometimes.

As she was going to turn the knob, a loud knock came from the other side. She didn’t have to look inside the peephole to figure out who it was. Them talking right away actually gave it away.

“Zatanna Zatara, I know you’re in there. Let’s not make this anymore complicated than it needs to be.”

Lucifer Morningstar was standing outside her hotel room door. What is up with the men in her past making sudden appearances back into her life? Granted, seeing John wasn’t exactly his fault, but still.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, ole Prince of Hell?” She asked aloud.

“Ex-Prince of Hell, but I’m glad you still see me in my old position. I would like to have a chat, Mistress of Magic. Is that too much to ask?” She could practically hear the smirk to his words.

*“ _Reirrab_ ,” she quietly said before opening the door wide open. Lucifer Morningstar stood just outside wearing a crisp black suit with a red dress shirt underneath. He had a black cane, with a red heart as the handle and tapped it to what looked like freshly polished shoes. “Don’t you think the red is a bit on the nose?” She asked, gesturing to his attire.

His grin grew deeper, just barely showing the tip to his enlarged fangs. “I wanted to make quite the impression on the famous Mistress of Magic herself. Or do you prefer infamous? May I come in?” He didn’t budge but his eyes traced the outline of the door. “Quite the spell, little witch. Gotta admit, I’m struggling here with this barrier.”

“I was actually headed out, so can we make this quick.” Zatanna was starting to feel the pressure of Lucifer trying to break down on her spell. She wasn’t sure if he was here for a fight or if he was trying to break it down for his own satisfaction. Either way, she wasn’t going to let up.

Her father made sure she was more than prepared on how to handle her magic. If she can go toe to toe with Circe, then Lucifer shouldn’t be a problem. Well, she hoped so, at least.

“A little pixie informed me that you made a pit stop to one of my clubs. Do I need to worry about the Justice League making one as well?” He said Justice League with such venom, Zatanna was surprised that the ex Prince of Hell can hold such disdain for something. You would think being alive for thousands of years would make you more chivalrous.

“It was simply a mistake. There is no need for the mafia impression.”

Lucifer hummed, now leaning against the doorframe. “A mistake? Same time little old Johnny boy was in the club as well? I don’t quite believe that,” he said, reaching out to twirl her hair, but immediately retracting his hand. “I gotta admit, your power has grown… immensely. It’s quite exhilarating.”

“I’m not for your enjoyment and I am never a liar. You believe what you want to believe,” She said, ignoring the pang in her chest at the mere mention of his name. You’re definitely on your period, she thought to herself. Stop acting like this.

“I can see why you like him,” Lucifer continued. “He is quite delicious.”

Now he’s definitely trying to gage a reaction. He wants me to lower my guard down. I guess he did come for a fight.

Zatanna flashed him a wide grin. “I wholeheartedly agree. * _Ffuc sdnah_ ,” She said quickly. Her barrier spell around the door quickly detached to look almost like a lasso and wrapped themselves firmly around Lucifer’s hands.

“You little bi-“

*“ _Ecnelis_.” His lips continued moving but all that greeted Zatanna was silence. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to hold him like this so she needed to act quickly.

“You were correct on one thing,” Zatanna said smugly. “I did get a little stronger.” She snapped her fingers and he was gone.

Zatanna huffed and leaned against the door frame. Sweat beaded on her brow. She needs to stop exerting so much energy without properly recovering. Her spells were simple but using them on a celestial being like Lucifer… she was surprised in herself that she was even able to keep the blockade up.

“I’d say congratulations, but I know you won’t care for it anyway.”

She’d know that voice anywhere. It’s the same one she heard hours ago and it still holds the same effect on her. Whipped.

John Constantine was walking from the elevator to her hotel room door. “You really do need better hotels with better security, I reckon.” He was wearing a black and white suit that looked brand new. His blonde locks were freshly combed back, his curls on the end slightly bouncing with each step he took.

Just what she needed. Just exactly what she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a long wait! I do have chapters ready to go, life just got in the way. Here’s a new chapter and I promise, the next one won’t be a long wait. Thank you for reading, I’m really having a great time writing my own slow burn. :D
> 
> Spells used, in order:  
> \- Fire ball  
> \- Fire ball  
> \- Take Zatanna back  
> \- Barrier  
> \- Cuff hands   
> \- Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this started off a bit slow, but I really am a lover for slow burns! This is my first fic ever so I apologize for any mistakes! I have a few chapters written that need some editing but I'll get those all up as soon as I can! 
> 
> Spells Zatanna used, translated (in order):
> 
> 1\. Sthgil ffo = lights off  
> 2\. Evig em ssenthgirb = give me brightness   
> 3\. Trevnoc = convert   
> 4.Ekat em kcab ot Sal Sagev = Take me back to Las Vegas


End file.
